Election week took up most of the oxygen in town (our election results roundup covers who won). Here’s the Montclair news that got buried underneath it: the downtown business district hired back its former director, the school board started debating Election Day, the township’s finance committee called a public meeting on taxes, Brookdale Park’s rose garden got a $471,500 makeover plan and a bagel shop named after Montclair opened in Austria.
Montclair Center BID Hires Jason Gleason Back as Executive Director
The Montclair Center Business Improvement District has its old boss back. The BID handles cleaning, events and marketing for the downtown district along Bloomfield Avenue. It named Jason Gleason its new executive director, Montclair Local reported Nov. 2.
Gleason led the BID from 2019 to 2024. He had been working as its principal consultant while the organization went through a run of leaders. His successor, Abhishake Shah, left in December 2025. Cesar Claro took the job in July, then stepped down for health reasons about two months later.
“Having the opportunity to helm Montclair Center again, it’s an honor,” Gleason told Montclair Local. He said he plans to rethink how Montclair Center presents itself to the region and take a hard look at the BID’s programs.
The BID also hired Laura Wagner as assistant director. Wagner ran Boonton Main Street from 2018 to 2021.
Gleason’s first holiday season back starts with Small Business Saturday on Nov. 28.
Should Montclair Schools Stay Open on Election Day? The Board Is Asking
Montclair students went to school two days last week. Schools closed Tuesday for Election Day, opened Wednesday, then closed Thursday and Friday for the NJEA convention. That’s the New Jersey Education Association’s annual statewide teachers’ gathering. This week loses another day to Veterans Day on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
Board of Education members are now asking whether that has to happen again next year, Montclair Local reported. At an Oct. 26 meeting, Superintendent Ruth B. Turner said the proposed 2027-28 calendar copies the one the board approved last year and largely follows the federal holiday calendar. Board member Eric Scherzer questioned whether the district should try to open schools on Election Day.
The obstacle is security. District security staff had told officials there was no way to keep members of the public separated from students because of how the school buildings are laid out. Turner said opening on Election Day was unlikely.
The board is set to vote on the calendar at its November meeting, before the three newly elected board members take their seats in January.
Montclair’s Finance Committee Wants to Talk Taxes on Nov. 12
If you have thoughts about your property tax bill, the Township Council’s Finance Committee is setting aside an evening to hear them. The committee will hold a public meeting Thursday, Nov. 12, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the council chambers at the Municipal Building, 205 Claremont Ave. The agenda covers planning for the FY2027 municipal budget, the township’s financial outlook and the property tax revaluation process.
The meeting comes after the department budget hearings that started Nov. 2, where department heads walk the council through their spending requests. It also comes after what Township Manager Stephen D. Marks called a “challenging” year in a letter to taxpayers. In 2026, the average homeowner’s municipal taxes rose $160 and school taxes rose $847. That came on top of a one-time school tax of $558 this year, with another $558 due in 2027. Marks noted that Montclair has the 13th highest residential property tax burden of New Jersey’s 564 municipalities.
The revaluation is the part to watch. It resets the assessed value of every property in town, which changes how the total tax bill is split among homeowners. Some bills go up and some go down. The council has already approved a $2 million emergency appropriation to pay for it.
Brookdale Park’s Rose Garden Is Getting a $471,500 Makeover
The rose garden at Brookdale Park, which straddles the Montclair and Bloomfield border, is getting a refresh. Essex County and the Brookdale Park Conservancy announced plans Nov. 5 to refurbish it, Patch reported.
The plans include:
- two new flower beds
- permanent stone edging instead of the brick borders
- pavers instead of loose river stones
- repaired pathways and curbing
- new benches and trash cans
- restored carved signage
- a 12-foot metal obelisk for a climbing rose
- a new equipment shed with an electrical hookup
AB Contracting of Wharton won the $471,500 construction contract, and French and Parrello of Wall has a $296,000 design contract. A grant from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund is paying for the project.
“We’ve always believed the gardens were one of the jewels of Brookdale Park,” said Don McLaughlin, president of the conservancy.
The work is scheduled to be finished in spring 2027, ahead of rose season.
There’s Now a “Montclair Bagels” in Graz, Austria
A student from Graz, Austria, spent a year in Montclair, fell for the bagels and went home to open her own shop. Montclair Bagels opened Oct. 6 on Zinzendorfgasse in Graz’s university district. Judy Karner runs it with her partner, Romano Renelt, Patch reported.
“I fell in love with bagels there and really wanted something like that in Graz,” Karner told the Austrian news site 5 Minuten. The couple taught themselves to bake bagels after she came home. It took many failed batches and rewritten recipes before they opened.
The name is about more than her year abroad. Montclair and Graz have been sister cities since 1950. The relationship started when Montclair residents sent medical supplies and care packages to Austria after World War II. The Overseas Neighbors program and Montclair State University still send students between the two cities, and Graz has a Montclair-Allee in its city park.
Next time someone from Graz asks you for a bagel recommendation, you’ll know they’ve done their homework.
